A Fresh Start
by MaxBuffkin
Summary: A new hunter joins Beacon with powers never-before-seen, but will his past rob him of his future?
1. Chapter 1: Hidden in Plain Sight

**Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a fanfiction (and releasing my writing to the public), so please comment and give feedback. Criticism is welcomed, insults will be ignored. Also, I do not own RWBY and if you think I do, you're wrong.**

Chapter 1: Hidden in Plain Sight

I couldn't believe I managed to get aboard the ship to Beacon Academy! Judging by all the other students talking, I could tell this was a big crowd. All of a sudden, I hear a girl say that she jumped ahead two years and that she's nervous about what's going to happen. I really wanted to be a good guy and talk to her, but all I could gather about her location was that she's somewhere behind me. By the time I got a better idea as to where she was, the ship came to a stop and some student ran be me like something was on fire, followed by a crowd of people herding me out the doors. After I managed to get away from the mob, I heard a girl screaming at the top of her lungs, followed by an explosion! A bottle knocked into the back of my foot and once I picked it up, I knew what it was, Dust. I, then, felt a hand poke my left shoulder and the same girl shouted that the bottle belonged to her. I kindly obliged her demand and handed it over and asked her where the person she yelled at was, and she replied that the "helpless dolt" was right behind me. I didn't dignify her with a farewell, but I turned around and took a few steps until I bumped into the victim. I offered if he/she needed help getting, but she declined and immediately said, "Hello, my name is Ruby Rose!"

I could tell she was very nervous and, apparently, extended her hand during the introduction, but I didn't notice until she quipped, "This is the part where you shake my hand."

I chuckled nervously and offered my left hand and told her my name is Max. I guess I chose the wrong hand since it took her a few moments to complete the handshake.

"That's a cool name! Where's you weapon?" she replied rather quickly.

I tapped the right side of my head and said that I had no real, physical weapon, only my mind.

"What school did you go to where they didn't force you to have a backup weapon?" she questioned.

"One, I was home-schooled. Two, I don't need a weapon to slow me down." I replied arrogantly.

"Careful there! I'd hate to burst your bubble!" she retorted as I heard her weapon transform.

I simply nodded my head and complimented her on whatever she had.

"So, how do you use your 'mind' to fight the creatures of Grimm?" she asked dramatically.

I snapped my fingers a few times while pretending to think, demonstrating my ability to make fire. She gasped in surprise before recovering with, "Okay. So you can make a little flame. But that's not gonna cut it when a pack of Beowolves or Ursas are surrounding you."

A laughed a little before saying, "Well then… I guess you'll find out. Won't ya?"

I turned and starting walking, hopefully, towards the main building when I heard Ruby running to catch up and screamed, "Hey, wait! What do ya mean 'you'll find out'?!"

I couldn't help but smile. She was very innocent. How could someone be mad at her for long? Oh, yeah…. That reminds me.

"What was that explosion about?" I asked.

"Oh…. I was really nervous, bumped into some crazy lady's luggage, she sprinkled Dust in my face, then I sneezed, and then the explosion happened!" she rambled so quickly that I almost didn't catch it.

"You have an interesting way of meeting new people." I said sarcastically, hoping to lift her spirits a little since she seemed really embarrassed about the situation.

Apparently it didn't work because she was silent for, what seemed like, eternity.

"Why don't you have shoes on?" she finally asked.

"It's to better my chances of surviving in a fight. I can sense movement by feeling the vibrations in the ground." I answered.

"Aren't you afraid that someone's gonna step on your toes?"

"Not really. I don't get insulted very easily." I joked.

That managed to get a small amount of laughter from her, so I felt like I did my job as human being for the day! Just then, I heard a small amount of noise and I looked around anticipating someone, or something, would attack us, but then it stopped.

"You okay?" Ruby asked, genuinely concerned.

"I don't…. Did you not hear that?"

"You mean the bells?" she suggested.

I simply nodded and continued walking. After all, school had technically just begun. Maybe it was the bells? I just wrote it off as me being crazy and focused on what was ahead.


	2. Chapter 2: The First Nightmare

**Author's Note: I checked the weather; Hell did not freeze over, and so I STILL don't own RWBY (created by Monty Oum). Maybe one day…. Oh, yeah! Chapter 2! Please comment, criticize, and (hopefully) like!**

Chapter 2: The First Nightmare

As we entered through the doorway, the foyer was filled with the sounds of numerous students engaged in all their conversations made the volume level so high, I almost couldn't take it. Shortly thereafter, the crowd fell silent.

"I'll…. Keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you from this, but your time in this school will prove that knowledge can carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step," a man stated over the P.A system.

"Well…. That was…. That was something," I thought to myself.

This train of thought was interrupted by a woman taking over and saying, "You will gather in the ballroom tonight and tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You're dismissed."

"The faculty here is just a big ball of sunshine, huh?" I continued thinking.

I stood there for a little bit while I sensed which way foot traffic was going because I obviously knew where the ballroom was. Once again, my concentration was broken, but at least it was by Ruby.

"Hey, Max! Don't just stand there! Let's go!"

I cracked a half-smile and headed towards her voice. As I approached, I could hear Ruby talking with another girl, but I couldn't understand the conversation. When I heard her shush, I asked what was going on.

"Max, this is my sister, Yang. Yang, this is my new friend, Max," Ruby introduced.

I was about to greet her myself, but then she spontaneously wrapped me in the strongest bear hug I've ever endured.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see that my little sister has already made new friends!" she screamed in my left ear.

"O…. Kay…. Can't…. Breathe…. Now…. Deaf!" I groaned through the forest of hair this girl had.

She finally released her death-grip on me and I spent a few moments catching my breath.

"Oops! Sorry! Ruby's just been really nervous and it's nice to see that she's meeting new people!" Yang chirped.

"Nice to see her mother's concerned," I joked.

Her only response was punching my left arm, hard. I cringed a little bit and rubbed the soon-to-be-bruised area, knowing full well I deserved that.

"Before you kill him, can we go get a decent spot before they're all gone?" Ruby whined.

"Of course! Go get our spots and we'll catch up!" Yang answered.

"She'll know if I'm not there, so choose your actions very wisely," I warned, readying myself for an attack.

"Don't worry! A friend of Ruby's is a friend of mine! It's just…. I've never seen someone with red eyes, or even the haze that's over them," she said.

While I didn't lower my stance, I was confused by her noticing my eyes in such a manner, so I simply shrugged it off. On the way to meeting up with Ruby, Yang told stories about when they were little and Ruby's obsession with becoming a huntress. It was nice to see how the two cared for each other and made me think back to my relation with my sister, but I had a hard time remembering anything.

"I certainly remember you, Max," a voice said.

"Casey?" I thought.

"Are you okay, Max? You got that same look from earlier," Ruby said, snapping me out of my trance once again.

"Yeah! Just a random thought occurred to me is all," I lied.

"That being?" she questioned.

"Do I have a spot against a wall?"

"The only spot against a wall I see is…. Over there," she directed.

Since I didn't know where "there" was, so I took a sleeping bag headed in a direction. I didn't hear an objection from the girls and I didn't stop until I ran into someone in their sleeping bag.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry, I wasn't paying attention!" I stammered out of fear of who I just woke up.

"That's alright. I almost forgot to blow out my candles, so in a way, thank you," she said calmly.

I just stood there in awe because her voice was so soothing; my body was just numb and completely relaxed.

"I-I-I was h-hoping if I could have a spot along this wall," I managed to spit out.

She gave a soft giggle before she offered the area next to her. I thanked her for the suggestion and started lying down my sleeping bag. As I got settled, she told me her name was Blake and I told her mine. It was a bit difficult to fall asleep, but I soon realized that Blake talks quietly while she reads, so I listened to her read about a man with two souls fighting for control of his body and was out like a light in no time. When I woke up, I could hear fires roaring and crackling along with the sounds of people screaming. I wasn't horrified by the situation, but rather enjoyed it. Worst part being, I soon realized I was the one spreading the flames. I was enjoying everything from the sounds of the fire, to the screams of people. In the midst of the chaos, something tugged on my sweatshirt.

"Please…. Stop…," a man begged.

I didn't acknowledge him, but instead, I felt my left arm catch on fire and I blasted a fireball into his face while smiling.

"Daddy!" a little girl screamed.

That scream rang in my ears as I sat up. My head was throbbing and I was confused and terrified about what I saw.

"Don't hide from your past, Max. After all, those who don't understand history are bound to repeat it."

What do you mean? What are you talking about? What happened? Just who am I?


	3. Chapter 3: The Beginning Descent

**Author's Note: YES! Wait…. No? No…. I still don't own RWBY (created by Monty Oum)…. ****. So instead, enjoy, comment, and like Chapter 3 (because this is it for a week)!**

Chapter 3: The Beginning Descent

As I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead, I just sat there, shaking. There was no way I could go back to sleep now.

"Have a nightmare?" Blake asked.

I visibly jumped and just simply nodded.

"What time is it?" I asked while trying to change the topic.

"About 5," she replied.

"What are you doing up so early?"

"Got changed, currently reading, and now, waiting for breakfast. You should probably do the same."

Realistically, I couldn't do that because I only have the one outfit, so I leaned against the wall and asked, "Do you know where the training rooms are?"

"Not yet."

While her voice might be amazingly relaxing, her personality is a bit jagged, so I just closed my eyes and hoped I'd get a quick nap in before breakfast. Apparently not since I felt something scrape against the brick, which sent a chill up my spine. I concentrated real hard as I teleported from the sleeping bag to the foyer from yesterday. I turned around to face the sound of the door opening quietly. As I got ready to fight, I could hear feel countless amounts of claws scraping against the tile floors along with soft growling. I considered my options as the sounds slowly encircled me. Both my arms were now on fire as I blasted two away with fireballs, but the rest didn't seem to like that as they all made a collective leap for me. The fire from my arms were quickly put out as I channeled as much energy as I could and blasted an energy wave that knocked them back. This time, they made the better move of leaping at me one-by-one. As the first one approached, I used the momentum to throw it by the neck and chest to the other side of the lobby. The next one came at me from behind, but I simply side-stepped it. However, it did manage to cut my left cheek. In retaliation, I blasted away the creature with enough ice shards to leave nothing left behind. I could smell the desperation as they all tried to jump on me at once, again. With the last of my energy, I enveloped myself in a ring of fire and incinerated all those that tried to get to me. As I tasted blood, I could hear one more trying to escape. I ran towards it and jumped directly on its back. While it was screaming in pain, I took an ice shard, thrust it into its neck, and set it on fire. As much as I wanted to enjoy the destruction, my head was now in so much pain that I dropped down to one knee and still had a nosebleed.

"Let me take you to the hospital wing," the man from yesterday said.

I didn't shake my head or answered verbally because my head was in THAT much pain. Instead, I got up and followed the sounds of his footsteps. What came as a bit of a surprise was I could hear many students whispering and talking, so how long were they there? I might never get to know because the man I was shadowing asked, "Do you know who I am?"

"Judging by your speech yesterday, I take it you're the headmaster here?"

"Very good. I am Headmaster Ozpin. What's your name?"

"Max."

He took a sip of some sort of liquid before saying, "Funny. I don't recall seeing that name on the list of students who were accepted this year."

I tensed up because I believed I was finally caught, but I started lying, "I was a late addition."

As he chuckled, I knew for sure I was caught.

"There's no need to lie. I'm a reasonable man and upon seeing your powers, I believe you could make it in this school. So tell me, how did you learn that kind of power without the use of Dust?"

"I was taught by my dad."

"I see. And who is your dad?"

I was silent.

"Well, luckily for you, we're here. Just walk up to the nurse and ask for whatever you need to fix you up. I'd like you to be there for initiation."

Against my better judgment, I nodded. After I walked through the doors, a nurse kindly asked me what she could do to patch me up and I replied with, "A band-aid and a lot of painkillers."

After my cut got covered, I swallowed the two painkillers I was given and cleaned my nose of all the blood. Rather than resting, I got up and was about to leave before bumping into someone.

"Hey! Everyone's talking about you! You okay?" Ruby spoke feverishly.

"I'm fine. I assume you came here to get me for initiation?"

She was silent for few seconds before realization hit, "Oh, yeah, I forgot! We gotta hurry!"

As she dragged me by the arm, I couldn't believe that she forgot initiation so quickly. We were so focused on running to make it, we didn't speak. The ground changed from tiles, to grass, and finally, to a piece of cold steel.

"So nice of you two to join us," the woman from yesterday said.

We were so tired and out of breath that we didn't bother commenting or made an excuse. We, also, quickly realized that we didn't have much time to rest before being launched into the air from the piece we were standing on. While flying through the air, we got separated. I took this time to calm myself down, but didn't focus on trying to land too much. Since, apparently, I'm part cat, I landed on my feet. Kind of. I actually landed on my toes and drove my knees into the ground, hard. I struggled getting up, but after hearing growling from all around me, I had no choice. Plus, I couldn't afford to nurse my knees, or even stay still, so I hobbled as fast as I could in the direction I was flung. All that ran through my head now, were the sounds of growling becoming closer and closer.


End file.
